tinii's called a wai'jii color, and such it is in very fact; for the stems and 

 leaves retain more of the sun's heat when they are red. So that many 

 young shoots in early spring, before settled warm weather arrives, are 

 red to help them keep warm enough to grow well. 



It is very interesting to start different kinds of seeds, and see how 

 they behave in germination. Peas will be found to have many resem- 

 blances to acorns in their mode of growth. The two thick cotyledons 

 normally stay underground, and there are scale leaves on the yoimg 

 stem before the true foliage leaves appear. Don't forget to compare 

 the roots, the way the stem pushes through the soil, and the color. 

 The pea has no hard shell, but it has a skin to protect it, which 

 becomes soft when soaked. By looking in the acorn we shall find 

 that the kernel really has a skin about it, only it is thin, brown and 

 papery. Then if we remember that the pea grew in a pod that Avas 

 dry and hard when ripe, we shall see that the acorn and the pea are 

 more alike than appeared at first; even the half-dozen peas in a pod 

 only show that more grew up than in the case of the acorn. 



Plant some scarlet runner beans, and some common field beans. 

 The first behave quite like peas, but the second carry their cotyledons 

 up into the air, and turn them into quite fair foliage leaves, but not 

 at all the shape of the leaves that follow. Try some pumpkin, tomato 

 and onion seeds, and notice the difl:erent ways they adopt to establish 

 the young plant. These seeds can be planted at any time during the 

 year, while the germination of acorns can not be readily observed 

 except during winter and spring. 



In the case of corn there are differences that are not clear at first. 

 The seed remains underground and acts as a source of food supply 

 for the plantlet. The first leaves are short, as they are in the oak 

 and pea, but enwrap the stem, and are placed singly, instead of in 

 pairs. This leads us to suspect that there is only one cotyledon, and 

 that it must be held fast in the seed. Let us try and separate it. 

 The best we can do is to tear away the germ, but it has carried the 

 roots and stem with it. This soft white germ is in fact the cotyledon. 

 It does not have the stored food inside of it, as with the acorn, but 

 outside of it, and so is grown fast to the storehouse, and sucks out 

 the nutriment as the plantlet needs it for growth. If the seed is 

 planted deep, the stem is very long from the cotyledon to the base 

 of the first leaf, so as to bring the first leaves above ground. Eoots 

 are formed at this first joint after a time. "We must not forget to look 

 at the roots that spring from the seed and notice how very different 

 they are from those of the acorn. Possibly some connection can be 

 found between the disposition of the first roots of the seedlings and 



